Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Characterized by kindness, mercy, or compassion.
- adjective Characterized by an emphasis on humanistic values and concerns.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Of or pertaining to man; human. See
human , a. - Profane; secular. See
human , a., 2. - Having the feelings and inclinations proper to man; having tenderness, compassion, and a disposition to treat other human beings and the lower animals with kindness; kind; benevolent.
- Tending to humanize or refine: applied to the elegant or polite branches of literature, especially philology, rhetoric, poetry, and the study of the ancient classics. See
humanity , 5. - Synonyms Humane, Merciful; tender, tender-hearted, kind-hearted, compassionate, sympathetic. Humane differs from the ordinary use of merciful in that it expresses active endeavors to find and relieve suffering, and especially to prevent it, while merciful expresses the disposition to spare one the suffering which might be inflicted. The good Samaritan was humane; Shylock should have been merciful; the Royal Humane Society; a merciful judge.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective obsolete Pertaining to man; human.
- adjective Having the feelings and inclinations creditable to man; having a disposition to treat other human beings or animals with kindness; kind; benevolent.
- adjective Humanizing; exalting; tending to refine.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Having or showing
concern for thepain orsuffering of another;compassionate . - adjective Pertaining to branches of learning concerned with human affairs or the
humanities , especiallyclassical literature or rhetoric. - adjective Obsolete spelling of
human .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective marked or motivated by concern with the alleviation of suffering
- adjective showing evidence of moral and intellectual advancement
- adjective pertaining to or concerned with the humanities
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word humane.
Examples
-
Lyman focuses on the term humane meat, asking if killing can be humane and asserting that the only reason we eat meat is because we have an addiction to fat.
AlterNet.org Main RSS Feed EcoSalon Vanessa Barrington 2010
-
On the campaign trail, latest GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich came under fire for using the word "humane" in a debate answer about illegal immigration and suggesting we should adopt a policy to avoid tearing apart families.
Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup Arianna Huffington 2011
-
Chances are, if you get into a conversation about the conditions in which animals are raised for food in the United States, you will hear the word "humane" sooner or later.
Nil Zacharias: Humane Meat Is the Solution to What, Again? Nil Zacharias 2011
-
Chances are, if you get into a conversation about the conditions in which animals are raised for food in the United States, you will hear the word "humane" sooner or later.
Nil Zacharias: Humane Meat Is the Solution to What, Again? Nil Zacharias 2011
-
Chances are, if you get into a conversation about the conditions in which animals are raised for food in the United States, you will hear the word "humane" sooner or later.
Nil Zacharias: Humane Meat Is the Solution to What, Again? Nil Zacharias 2011
-
On the campaign trail, latest GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich came under fire for using the word "humane" in a debate answer about illegal immigration and suggesting we should adopt a policy to avoid tearing apart families.
Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup Arianna Huffington 2011
-
On the campaign trail, latest GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich came under fire for using the word "humane" in a debate answer about illegal immigration and suggesting we should adopt a policy to avoid tearing apart families.
Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup Arianna Huffington 2011
-
On the campaign trail, latest GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich came under fire for using the word "humane" in a debate answer about illegal immigration and suggesting we should adopt a policy to avoid tearing apart families.
Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup Arianna Huffington 2011
-
On the campaign trail, latest GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich came under fire for using the word "humane" in a debate answer about illegal immigration and suggesting we should adopt a policy to avoid tearing apart families.
Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup Arianna Huffington 2011
-
Chances are, if you get into a conversation about the conditions in which animals are raised for food in the United States, you will hear the word "humane" sooner or later.
Nil Zacharias: Humane Meat Is the Solution to What, Again? Nil Zacharias 2011
bilby commented on the word humane
"There are certain things you can truly count on when you see that Nature’s Acres label at your local supermarket. One, our products are USDA certified organic. Two, every cut of Nature’s Acres beef is minimally processed and contains absolutely no artificial hormones or antibiotics—ever! Three, all of our cows were grasped by the nostrils using cast iron nose tongs and had their heads violently wrenched backward so we could slash right through their carotid artery and windpipe with an 18-inch blade. And four, you’ll experience a rich beef taste you just can’t beat. Mmm, mmm!
And you can take heart knowing that Nature’s Acres has earned the “Animal Welfare Approved” and “Certified Humane” seals of approval from independent inspectors."
- Hank T. Norman, We Raise All Our Beef Humanely On Open Pasture And Then We Hang Them Upside Down And Slash Their Throats, The Onion, 22 Jan 2013.
January 24, 2013